Field
The present disclosure generally relates to providing health care using medical devices, and in particular, relates to controlling access to medical devices.
Description of the Related Art
Access to a medical device, such as an infusion system, dispensing machine, respirator, or vital sign monitor, is commonly restricted due to concerns regarding the health of one or many patients affected by the medical device. For example, a dispensing machine that tracks and dispenses medical products such as medications, medical devices, etc., often includes access restrictions so that its medical products can be tracked, and theft or misuse can be prevented. As another example, an infusion pump that delivers medication in a controlled manner to a patient often includes restrictions that permit only authorized users to configure the infusion pump.
The ability for certain authorized users, such as pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and system administrators, to access and configure such medical devices is commonly restricted to one or many physical locations. For example, a medical device can be located at a first physical location and permit an authorized medical device user such as a nurse to access the device. At a second physical location apart from the first physical location, a server can be present that permits an authorized server user, such as a pharmacist or a system administrator, to access and configure the nurse's access to the medical device. As a result, if the pharmacist or system administrator wants to change the nurse's access to the medical device or change a configuration of the medical device, the pharmacist or system administrator must be present at the physical location of the server in order to do so.